How To Care For Tarantulas

Follow Mark Amey's step by step guide to looking after tarantulas safely. Learn how to feed them insects, keep them in the right conditions and look after them properly with VideoJug's help.

Step 1: Housing and Bedding

Keep your Chilean Rose tarantula in a well-ventilated glass or plastic tank with a secure lid. Install a heat mat and a thermostat at the back of the tank to keep the temperature at 25 degrees. Place the thermostat sensor over the heat source. Also fit a thermometer to check the temperature. The tank itself should measure about 30 centimetres by 20 by 10. The floor should be covered with a thick layer of substrate such as cocoa fibre which should be kept moist. Wood bark will provide the spider with somewhere to hide. Use silica gel or soak cotton wool in bottled water and place it in a small dish for the spider to drink from. Humidity should be 60-70% which can be checked with a hydrometer. Tarantulas don't like bright lights so keep the tank out of direct sunlight and away from radiators and draughts. Don't keep more than one in the same tank, as there is a risk that the weakest may be eaten.

Step 2: Handling

It is not advisable to handle your tarantula as you may be allergic to it's bite. It may also release hairs that can irritate the skin, nose and eyes. When it needs to be moved, coax it into a ventilated container that can be closed afterwards.

Step 3: Diet

Feed your tarantula live crickets, locusts and mealworms. The insects themselves should be fed beforehand with a nutrient rich mixture available from pet shops. Feed your spider one insect at a time. Tarantulas may eat 2 or 3 at a time, or refuse altogether. Spiders don't eat every day and sometimes fast for a week or more. It is important not to feed your tarantula before, during and just after it sheds it skin as live prey may bite it. You will know it is shedding it's skin as it will make a web and flip over onto its back. It may lay on its back without moving for days. Do not touch or disturb it but make sure it has a source of water.

Step 4: Exercise and Play

Tarantulas will get any exercise they need from within their enclosure. Avoid handling as if you are allergic to a tarantula bite it may be fatal.

Step 5: Cleaning

Tarantulas don't make much mess, but you should change the substrate and clean and disinfect the tank every 3 or 4 months using an arachnid friendly disinfectant.

Step 6: Health

Your spider should have few health problems if kept in the right conditions. It is important not to keep live insects in the tank if they are not being eaten and your spider is shedding, as it may be bitten by its prey.